


Thirteen

by Xadrea



Series: Waltz For the Moon [3]
Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Coming of Age, Depression, F/F, F/M, Parental Death, Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25098046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xadrea/pseuds/Xadrea
Summary: Squall Leonhart’s namesake, his second son Squall, is turning thirteen in the midst of a war with Dollet and familial strife.
Relationships: Original Character/Original Character, Squall Leonhart/ Rinoa Heartilly, Squall Leonhart/Original Female Character
Series: Waltz For the Moon [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1797181
Kudos: 1





	Thirteen

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LionessRinoaVIII](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LionessRinoaVIII/gifts).



July 5th 

The day I turned thirteen I really wasn’t expecting much. Like always, there was no talk of my birthday. Speaking about the day I was born wasnt exactly a forbidden thing, but it wasnt a conversation for the dinner table either. So many things werent talked about at home anymore, for that matter. I woke up to the static of the radio pulsing against the wall. 

‘…Commander Squall Leonhart issued a statement informing the Duke of Garden’s refusal to comply with the terms of the treaty proposal. Thus far, the cease fire is holding up. More on the front-“

“Squall? Are you awake?”

My stepmother’s voice trailed in through the crack in my bedroom door. I leapt out of bed and kicked the remnants of the weapons upgrades under my bed. If she knew I was basically breaking school rules under her roof I’d be done for. Rose didnt get angry at me often…but when she did, it wasnt pleasant. I felt bad for her, though. The war with Dollet wasnt ending. Dad…probably wouldnt ever be coming home. Neither would my brother. His wife, Kiyoe, lived on the opposite end of the compound with their small sons. I liked Kiyoe a lot, but since she’d had the babies…I didnt get to see much of her. She’d closed herself off from people for awhile after everyone came back to Grandidi Garden. I couldn’t blame her, though. Our lives were literally turned upside down since my dad went missing. 

“Y-yeah!”   
“Can I come in?” 

You’ll march in here anyway, I thought shoving the last of the items under the edge of the bed. “Yeah!”

Rose pushed through the door a huge smile on her face. She was already dressed even though it was so early. Uniform ironed and creased. Her hair was pulled into a tight braid going down her back. 

“You’re leaving?”

“Yes, I just wanted to say happy birthday, sweetheart. Or are you too old?” 

I rolled my eyes and let her hug me. Rose held onto my shoulders and looked me up and down. “Where has that little boy gotten off to? Youre taller every morning!” 

I looked down. Shout it from the rooftops why don’t you? I was already taller than most of my teachers. My friends were dwarfed in comparison. I was half an inch taller than Stormy. I hadn’t seen my dad face to face in almost six months, but I imagined I was probably his height now. Grandpa, my uncle Irvine, and Rose were the only people I could stand to outgrow. And I sincerely hoped I didnt. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“N-nothing.”   
“Is there anything special you want to eat tonight? It’s not much, honey, but you know the cafeteria staff is dying to break the menu.” 

“No, not really.” 

“You sure?” 

“I don’t want to make any more work for them, you know?” 

Rose laughed. “Squall! It’s your day. And…you’re a teenager now, inconvenience whoever you’d like, honey.” 

And be like pretty much everyone else? No thanks. I shook my head and smiled. “No, it’s alright. Really.” 

Rose looked like she wanted to push some more, but backed off when she looked at my radio clock. “Shit…I’m going to be late,” she muttered softly. “I’ll be back around seven. I’m sorry it’s so late, but if you need anything—“

“I know.” 

“Look after the little kids.” Rose bit her lips and closed her eyes, stamping a foot. “It’s…your birthday. Damnit, I shouldn’t have you watch your siblings today…”

“I don’t mind,” I replied softly. And I didnt. I liked my brothers and sisters. And, Veronica was old enough to actually be of some help, so I wasnt alone in looking after the twins and Valkyrie. 

Rose looked heartbroken. “No, it’s not right and—“

“You said you were late? You should go,” I said gesturing to the hall. “I’m ok. I promise.” 

She hugged me again and hurried out, stepping over the clothes I hadn’t bothered picking up yet. I waited for the door to close and the lock to turn before I dragged the gunblade order out from under the bed. I was almost done with the trigger mechanism. Just needed two more components. I smiled down at the craftsmanship and tapped my chin. What should I call it? I’d taken the best of two models and combined them. It was lightweight like the Revolver, but had the intensity of the Flame Saber. The client was a newly minted SeeD, an older student who heard I was doing upgrades for half the price of the weapons shop in Esthar. I liked to think that’s what I’d end up doing one day. I liked knowing how things worked and being able to put them back together. The only person who seemed to notice that interest was Veronica. 

I ran into the bathroom shutting the door before any of my siblings heard me and showered as fast as I could. If I worked fast I could get to the forest and back before they were up and looking to play. I dressed and shoved on an older pair of sneakers, not wanting to dirty up the new ones. My dad had brought them home with him the last time I’d seen him. And even though they werent exactly a gift, or even all that different than the ones I usually wore, basic black, I…wanted to keep them nice. I grabbed a paper bag and tossed in a few vials of potion before heading toward the door. The house was a little messy, but I’d have the rest of the day to see to it. I carefully pulled my keys from the shelf beside the door and slipped a hand over the doorknob. The moment I pulled back on it I heard her behind me. 

“You thought you were gonna get out to the woods, huh?”   
Veronica. 

“Yeah. I’ll be back in like an hour. Tops.”

“Too dangerous to go alone.” 

I sighed and turned to face my sister. She was still in her pajamas, a black shirt with a faded chocobo painted on the chest and fuzzy grey sweatpants. Her dark hair was tied into a ponytail that swung back and forth playfully. “Besides,” she continued. “Now we’re not the same age anymore. You know how annoying that is to me?” 

I rolled my eyes. “Technically, youre still younger than me,” I grumbled. 

“Sure, but…it’ll be like four months until we’re twins again!” 

I shook my head. “Yeah, yeah.” 

It was still hard for me to wrap my head around, but we were the same age for seven months out of every year. The twin jokes would follow us forever, especially since our little brothers were real twins. But Valkyrie, the youngest, was really close in age to them too, so the joke was that they were triplets. 

“Soooo.” 

“So, I’m going now.” 

“Uh, not without me!”

“V, come on.” 

“Keep it down,” she hissed, walking around the couch. “I just wanna see the process.” 

“You know how the stupid crossbow works.” 

“Yeah, but I wanna see it in action.” 

“No. You want an excuse to be in my business.” 

Veronica playfully punched at my stomach and held up her fists like a boxer. “Maybe I wanna show off my moves.” 

She was lanky, two heads shorter than me, and I still knew better than to challenge her to a fight. The girl was pretty strong. I was too, but she was a sorceress and that was infinitely more impressive than any of the natural strength I had. 

“Besides, you don’t wanna spend time with your favorite sister?” 

“We’ll get in trouble if—“

“Mommy won’t be back until seven. I heard her!”

I frowned down at the girl but relented. “Fine. FINE.” 

Veronica jumped up and down and slipped into her shoes in the corner, kicking her brown slippers against the wall. “You think I should get a jacket?”

“It’s summer.” 

Veronica shrugged. “Mommy said the forest gets chilly.” 

“I’m leaving. If you’re coming you need to move it.” 

She grunted and yanked the door open, letting in the cooling mist of the morning. “I hope a Marlboro bites you.”


End file.
